Site For Husband’s Soul

Site For Husband's Soul

Dear Editor;

My name is Mary Alden, and I am the widow of Captain Edward States of AA Flight 587. I have read about the issues with the passengers and the residents of Belle Harbor about where to put the memorial and I have finally gotten my opinion on it.

I have had to go back to the issues of the WTC memorial and find that they are not being asked to have their memorial up by the Empire State Building, so why are we being asked to have it away from the original crash site? I understand that this is where people live and they do not want the strangers that have so sadly connected with this plot of land hanging around, but it seems almost nonmeaningful to go to some place just because it has a statue or something and it is convenient for the neighborhood.

I have been to the site twice and each time I am there it just amazes me that the angels were watching over that neighborhood and I can not stop thinking about what could happened there. You all were so blessed to have that airplane fall straight down and not go in at an angle and tear all the roofs off from one side of the water to the other.

I know that what I have to say does not have much weight on this issue, but I want you to know that as I will visit again, I will visit the crash site, sit and cry on the edge of the street and the sidewalk, and leave a flower on the edge of the property. This is where my husband's soul went to heaven and this is where I feel connected to my hero. I am sorry that Belle Harbor has had so much sadness and my heart goes out to all of you, this event has changed so many lives and we are now left to find the single place to memorialize our loved ones, and the reason on why it happened at all. May God Bless Belle Harbor and all the crew and passengers aboard AA Flight 587.